Sonos Roam
The Roam delivers a powerful sonic performance
£159 FROM Sonos, sonos.com FEATURES 2x Class-H digital amplifiers, 1x tweeter, 1x mid-woofer, far-field microphone, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, AirPlay 2, 1x USB-C port, dust- and waterproof to IP67, Amazon, Alexa, Google Assistant support, Privacy button, up to 10 hours playtime
According to the brand’s CEO Patrick Spence calls the Sonos Roam “the smartest speaker we have ever built.” The speaker certainly comes with both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, which means it can work as a portable speaker as well as part of your wider multi-room Sonos system – and with Google Assistant and Alexa onboard, it doubles up as a smart speaker too.
The Roam also comes with a host of cool features. With Sound Swap, you hold down the play button and the speaker will ‘throw’ your audio to the nearest other Sonos speaker available. Automatic Switching between Bluetooth and Wi-Fi means you can walk into your home and the Sonos Roam, having previously been paired with your Bluetooth device, will connect to your Wi-Fi, without the need to reconnect manually. Finally, the Auto TruePlay feature (first introduced with the Sonos Move) has been upgraded here, so the Roam will automatically tune its soundstage to your environment, whether you’re on Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.
While the Roam retains the minimalist aesthetic of the brand’s previous devices, there’s a focus on ruggedness. It’s similar in size to a water bottle, and weighs just 430g, yet it has an IP67 water-and-dust resistance rating, and can survive being three feet underwater for 30 minutes.
Above the Sonos logo is an LED that indicates the speaker’s connection status, while an LED on the opposite end indicates battery life. The control buttons are on the left end or top depending on how you place the speaker; you get volume up/down and play/pause buttons, as well as a button for turning the microphone on/off. The slightly embossed buttons feel tactile, easy to use, and accessible for those with visual impairments. The play/pause button can be double-pressed to skip to the next track, or triple-pressed for the previous track.
The design is attractive, and the speaker boasts a “precision-engineered” honeycomb grille – it’s not a wraparound grille though, so don’t expect true 360° sound.
Performance
Speaking of audio output, the Roam delivers a powerful sonic performance, with remarkably prominent bass. Inside the speaker are two class-H amplifiers, with a high-efficiency motor, as well as a custom
racetrack mid-woofer, and a tweeter. You get thumping bass lines, smooth synths, and clear, rich vocals.
We’d like to hear a little more from the mids and lower trebles, as some detail is lost amid the bass; if you’re using the Roam inside, you may want to adjust the EQ settings to increase the treble frequencies. Some may find the bass slightly overpowering – though the forceful low frequencies work well outdoors, where there are no walls for the sound to bounce off. The Roam lacks the kind of rhythmic accuracy and dexterity of audiophile speakers, but for a speaker of this size, we weren’t disappointed.
As for music services, there’s support for AirPlay 2 on Apple devices with iOS 11.4 or later, Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Tidal, YouTube Music, 7Digital, Sonos Radio, and more via the Sonos S2 app.
Power and features
Beneath the power/Bluetooth pairing button is a USB-C port for charging. You get a USB-A to USB-C connector in the box, but you’ll have to use your own adaptor. The claimed battery life of the Roam is 10 hours; we found that this came in at around nine hours while playing at a medium volume. (A wireless charging stand is available for £44, or you can charge it with any Qi-certified charging device.)
Sound Swap is one of the best features, allowing you to ‘throw’ the music from your Sonos Roam to the nearest Sonos speaker available, and vice versa. Press the play/pause button until you hear the third tone, while holding the Roam close to the other speaker. Your music will then begin playing from the second speaker – or if you’re casting to a Sonos system, the full speaker set-up. We found that it worked seamlessly, and the feature works in reverse – holding down the play/pause button will cause the speaker to pick up audio that’s playing on another speaker or setup. You can use the Roam as part of a wider multi-room audio setup, or pair two for stereo sound. Unfortunately, you can’t use two Sonos Roams as a pair of rear channels for a home cinema system.
The Roam works with both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0, so you can use it in the home or on the move, and the new Automatic Switching feature makes this transition more seamless than ever, with the speaker automatically connecting to your Wi-Fi network when in range, and re-pairing with your phone when you’re out and about.
Both Google Assistant and Alexa are onboard. It’s a shame that you can’t call on the voice assistant while using Bluetooth, but that’s certainly not a dealbreaker. And, if connected to Wi-Fi, you can use your voice assistant to control the speaker hands-free, control smart home devices, check your calendar, ask questions, and more.